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Trucker braves exploding cylinders to prevent deadly catastrophe

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This dramatic video, shot in the south of Morocco, shows a flaming truck carrying gas canisters explode repeatedly, and has already been seen by over 21,000 people. Our local Observer gives us the full story behind the incident.

I was at home when I heard the explosion. The news spread in Zagora like wildfire. People panicked, because our small town has never seen an accident like this before.

So here's what happened. The truck driver responsible for the gas cylinders went to a mechanic right in the middle of town, to repair a wheel rim. A spark created by the welder then lit up a leaking cylinder. Seeing the flames, the driver bravely climbed back into the vehicle to drive 200 or 300 metres, to get it away from the heavily populated neighbourhood. He succeeded in parking the truck, still on fire, in an isolated area, and started to unload the cylinders that hadn't yet caught fire to try and reduce the force of the explosion as much as possible. He even went back into the vehicle to take out its insurance and registration papers. He had just exited when the canisters began to explode, one after the other, until the truck itself finally exploded.

Luckily, there weren't any victims. The explosion was particularly forceful because the driver did not respect safety regulations: he loaded the cylinders horizontally and not vertically, to be able to cram more in.

No legal action was taken against the driver or the mechanic because there weren't any deaths or injuries, but also because the owner of the gas distribution company is a rich man and influential in the region."